The
freshest slice out of the PC gaming pie to be flung towards the console
is the realism World War II flight simulator IL-2 Sturmovik : Birds Of
Prey. But adapting any game from PC to console has its challenges, and
adapting one that also has a intense fan base is a whole different
challenge.

IL-2 :
Sturmovik Birds Of Prey focuses on the epic plane missions and dog
fights that changed the face of World War II. Probably the standout
feature from the start with this title is its size, its epic, in every
way, battling it out with over fifty missions, five theatres of war, and
forty separate planes, there is certainly not a shortage of action to be
had.

The
controls have been adapted quiet well to console with the control sticks
taking up the trim, yolk, and pitch, leaving the game with a slightly
more arcade feel, but this has been pushed back to the simulation using
the advanced physics engine the game utilises. Plane games have a
natural steep learning curve, and IL-2 isn't really any different. The
Tutorials are a must if you have no previous experience in the genre but
they will also eat up about a good hour.

This
may be off putting to some people from the get go, but for those who
strive through it, you will be rewarded with a vast array of missions
and encounter some brilliant dog fight sims. The action scenes
themselves are treats, with a full round attack range you are never out
of the battle until there is only yourself left, this creates some great
edge of your seat missions. All the mission also follow full storylines
and are recreated from genuine World War II aerial and ground military
missions.

The
missions will vary from bombings to storming, to scout and attack. Each
of them will test every scrap of knowledge you've acquired up until that
point and will have unique characteristics and the planes change from
the many models preset, so it's in your best interest to master
everything you can, while you can. The difficulty settings have been
kept from their origins and they work exceptionally. The easiest setting
will give you nice easy flight capabilities, a full HUD display, and a
plethora of camera angles.

Moving
upwards you will loose certain HUD options and eventually will be
fighting a very capable AI opponent with no HUD and next to no variance
in camera angles. This gives you a great ability of completing the game
on the easiest settings and getting a fresh challenge when adjusting the
difficulty, instead of just making the opponents tougher. It's a
evolution of skill.

One of
the strongest points for this title is it's visuals. Flying in the third
person view shows a vast array of lush acreage below, complete with
rolling hills, small villages, meadows, towns beaches and cities. It's
amazing what they have compacted into the just the background layering
as each item does not suffer form any pixilation whatsoever, they look
as sharp and as crisp as when displayed on the cut scenes.

Switching into the Cockpit view shows a whole new realm of detail, with
a full cockpit display of real to life dial and control placement, and a
head movement capability to look around everywhere in your surrounds.
With the newly tweaked damage engine added in you can also see the
flames, smoke and bullet holes when you've locked onto a target. Perhaps
it's due to the massive scaling of the games visuals but the audio
doesn't quiet feel as full as what it possibly could be and only really
gets rescued by the original score presented by composer Jeremy Soule,
who previously worked on the Guild Wars and Harry Potter franchises.

The
multiplayer aspect is still a big draw on the console and this game has
represented well. With four different multiplayer modes allowing for
local and online play of Dog fight, Team Dog Fight, Strike (destroy as
many enemy ground target as possible while defending your own), and
capture the airfield. These has great capabilities as you can hop from
one plane to the next mid battle and can flood the skies with around one
hundred planes each flying independently, but ultimately in a game such
as this, the entertainment will be dependent on finding a opponent with
the same skill set as your own.

IL2
has held its own from the PC title, adapted to console beautifully, and
is a rich and action packed simulator that gives a great realistic
experience while giving enough entertainment to keep you enthralled. The
learning's of the game are tough, and will take some time to master for
the inexperienced but the visuals are truly jaw dropping and it gives
the truest representation of plane flight on a console to date.
Fantastic title.